Ottawa 10K assembles deepest field of elites ever on Canadian soil

Gold label event is one of the world’s fastest and most competitive 10Ks in the world

Ottawa, April 30, 2015 – Organizers of the IAAF Gold label Ottawa 10K at the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend have assembled the largest field of elite runners ever on Canadian soil. With almost 100 elite runners, organizers are predicting the Ottawa 10K will be one of the fastest 10K events in the world on Saturday, May 23rd.

“The combination of being a Gold label event and hosting the National Championship has led to the deepest 10K field that I have seen on Canadian soil,” said Manny Rodrigues, Elite Athlete Coordinator.

Last year, the fastest 10K times outside of Ottawa were 28:31 for men and 32:32 for women. Organizers have recruited 10 men and 8 women with faster personal bests than those.

“We have 6 men ranked in the top 25 for road running right now, and we have the top runners from seven countries. For the National championships, we have some of the top runners from 8 provinces and 1 territory. The depth is incredible”

Kenyan David Kogei returns to Ottawa

Returning to Ottawa is last year’s second place finisher David Kogei of Kenya. Kogei finished with a time of 28:06, six seconds behind his countryman Wilson Kiprop (28:00).

Competing for the win will be Ethiopian Tilahun Regassa (27:32 PB), Kenyan Nicholas Bor (27:38 PB) and Amos Mitei, also from Kenya, who recently ran 27:58.

Swiss half-marathon national record holder Tadesse Abraham (SWI) will be targeting the Swiss 10K national record of 28:25 here in Ottawa.

Gladys Cherono looking to break course record and win the gender competition

Gladys Cherono (KEN), world half-marathon and 10,000m champion is hoping to beat the 31:21 course record set last year by running mate Mary Keitany. She also has her sights set on winning Ottawa’s gender competition.

Women in Ottawa start the 10k roughly 4 minutes earlier than the men. The first athlete to cross the finish line (man or woman) wins a $2,000 bonus. Ottawa is the only race in Canada to offer this type of bonus, adding to the excitement of the race.

Returning to the Ottawa 10K is up and coming Ethiopian runner Ruti Aga who placed second last year with a time of 32:20.

Organizers will also be watching 21-year-old Peris Chepchirchir (KEN) who set a personal best of 31:34 in December.

Gillis, Marchant and DuChene confirmed for the Canadian 10K championships

Canadian marathon record holder Lanni Marchant and 10K champion Eric Gillis will also both be running in the Canadian 10K championships, being held in Ottawa for the first time.

Joining Gillis will be a strong field of competitors including Kelly Wiebe, who recently finished at the top Canadian at the world cross-country championships, 2014 Beer Mile World champion Corey Gallagher, Toronto’s Matt Loiselle (29:17 PB), and his running partner Sami Jabril.

The women’s field will also be very competitive with Krista DuChene returning to race Ottawa, one year after having broken her femur. DuChene placed third at the Rotterdam Marathon last month.

2014 10K Canadian champion Rachel Hannah (33:09) and Rhiannon Johns who won the Canadian Marathon Championships in Ottawa last year (2:47:11) will also compete for the title.

The IAAF Gold label Ottawa 10K will take place Saturday, May 23, 2015, as part of the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend.

Background information:

Key facts and information:

  • 12,000 runners are expected to take part in the SOLD OUT 2015 Ottawa 10K
  • Ottawa 10K is one of only four Gold label 10K races in the world
  • Mary Keitany (KEN) set the course record last year at 31:21; she also won the gender competition
  • Wilson Kiprop (KEN) won last year’s Ottawa 10K in 28:00
  • The 10K men’s course record of 27:24 was set in 2009 by Deriba Merga

About the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend

The 2015 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend will welcome 50,000 participants in six races, including the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon, the Scotiabank Half-Marathon, the Ottawa 10K, the HTG Sports 5K, the 2K and Scotiabank Kids Marathon. Two of the weekend’s events have received top honours from the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF). The Ottawa 10K is one of only four Gold label 10K races in the world, and the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon is designated Silver label. The 2015 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend will take place May 23-24, 2015. Visit us at www.runottawa.ca.